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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27712142">Poisonous Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CringeWriter/pseuds/CringeWriter'>CringeWriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Death Note, Death Note (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Ending, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Kissing, M/M, Non-Consensual Kissing, Romance, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:23:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27712142</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CringeWriter/pseuds/CringeWriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>L and Light have started to become close since they've been chained together. Too close. L doesn't want his feelings to get in the way of that case, but it's hard to say no to Light Yagami.</p><p>(originally posted on WattPad)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>L/Yagami Light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This takes place before Light gets his memories back of the Death Note, so around the Yotsuba Arc of the anime/manga.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light Yagami had been starting to get close with L. In a weird way he had some sort of attachment to him and he wasn't sure why. </p><p> Since they've been chained together, Light gradually started to enjoy having having the detective around. It's hard not to get attached to someone when you spend every waking and resting hour with them.</p><p>There were still times where he wanted nothing more to snap the chain between them then proceed to wrap it around L's pale neck, thus ending his life.<br/>Light wasn't an idiot obviously. That was like asking for him to get caught by the rest of the Task Force. </p><p>Currently, L and Light were sitting at their desks still gathering information on the Kira case at some unruly hour of the night. </p><p>The detective was perched on his chair in his usual crouching position, playing his favourite game of "How Many Sugar Cubes Can I Shove In My Mouth Before I Choke On Them?" <br/>Over multiple weeks and late nights, Light had come to the conclusion the answer was 12 and a half.</p><p>Light on the other hand had grown weary and exhausted from overworking himself. He couldn't keep pulling all nighters with L every night. It was starting to affect his ability to think clearly and he couldn't take it anymore. </p><p>The teen groaned internally and smashed his head onto the keyboard. After about a minute, he looked up at his screen and looked at the document he was using to type his notes on. He managed to type out "jsdkdjnfxmxk" </p><p>"Is there something wrong Light-Kun?" L asked, not <br/>taking his gaze off the monitor in front of him. </p><p>"Ryuzaki, don't you think it's time we take a break for the night? I can't pull another all-nighter, it's really starting to mess with my head." </p><p>L finally took his attention away from the case and look a peek at the boy sitting next to him. Light was slouched over his desk, not even reading the files that were being shown through them. Just scrolling through them quickly without retaining information. </p><p>"I suppose a break could do us both some good," L replied, his voice lacking any hint of emotion. "I admit it's rather selfish of me to force you to work this late. It's clearly a waste of time because you are not doing anything productive when you're sleep deprived."</p><p>L stood up from his chair, defaulting to his dreadful posture. The elder of the two tugged the chain of the handcuffs, causing it to rattle loudly, successfully gaining Light's attention. </p><p>"Let's go Light-Kun." <br/>Light didn't say anything in response, he just trailed behind L like a lost puppy, until they finally got up to their shared bedroom.</p><p>Light was more than ecstatic to finally have the chance to catch some much needed shut eye. The weight of the blankets wrapped around him was comforting. He let his eyes flutter shut and rolled over onto his side.</p><p>Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click</p><p>The younger boy tried his absolute hardest to block out the annoying sounds coming from Ryuzaki, who decided to continue working tonight. <br/>Usually he would wait until he was asleep to begin working because Light was very open about how he couldn't stand the typing sounds.  </p><p>He rolled over onto his back and pulled the pillow overtop of head, smushing his face into it. This was an attempt to block out the illuminating light from L's laptop. Light was was hoping it would block out some of the sound too. <br/>Although it helped a little, it wasn't significant enough for him to be able to fall asleep comfortably. </p><p>"Can you fucking stop that?!" Light snapped, taking L by surprise. He was usually so calm and collected. It was rare and unusual for him to lose his temper, especially so quickly. "You know I can't sleep like this, Ryuzaki." </p><p>L looked Light dead in the eyes, before continuing to type out another sentence on his laptop. It was a deliberate attempt to taunt him. Light took his pillow and threw it at L, hitting him square in the face. </p><p>"That wasn't very kind of you Light-Kun." L mumbled, shooting the teen a cold glare as couple strands of hair fell in front of eyes. "15%."</p><p>"Shut the fuck up. Why can't you just try and get some sleep as well? You probably need it more<br/>than I do." Light hissed, growing more agitated by the second. "God knows how long it's been since you last slept." </p><p>"It's been exactly 96 hours, 19 minutes and 28 seconds." L placed his finger on the corner of his lip and nibbled on his thumbnail. "Why does Light-Kun seem so concerned about my sleeping habits? Perhaps he's planning something?.."</p><p>"You're absolutely ridiculous. Can't you at least try to get some sleep?" </p><p>"I don't think I will be able to, but I guess it never hurts to try. Besides, I can't pester you that way.."</p><p>"L, I have a question and you don't have to answer it obviously. But, why don't you sleep?" </p><p>"Well.. firstly, it's Ryuzaki. Secondly, it's not that I want to deprive myself of sleep, I just find that instead of sleeping I could be productive by working,"</p><p>L paused for a second, almost unsure why he was revealing this information to Light. </p><p>"Animals and human beings are also in their most vulnerable position when you sleep and I am not different from them. I am<br/>putting myself in a place that makes it easier to.." L didn't finish his sentence. Instead he opted for gliding his fingers across his neck, representing the throat cutting gesture. </p><p>The detective had no doubt in his mind that Light Yagami was or at least to be Kira. Despite knowing that, L was beginning to have a bit more trust in him. He wasn't lying when he said he thought of Light as a friend. It might've appeared to be a test or just meaningless words being thrown out, but they held some truth to them. </p><p>L shoved his laptop underneath the bed and finally ditched his usual crouched position, laying down on his back next to Light. <br/>The two boys laid in quiet for a while, alone in the darkness. While Light was in the half-awake, half-asleep state, L broke the silence. </p><p>"Light-Kun?"</p><p>"What is it Ryuzaki?"</p><p>"I don't want to believe you are Kira." L paused once again. "The truth is I enjoy your companionship and  it's been a pleasure to work with you." </p><p>"I'm glad to hear that.." Light mumbled, letting out a small yawn after he finished speaking. </p><p>L opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it rather quickly. Light looked too tired to continue a conversation and he already told him he was exhausted.</p><p>"Goodnight Light-Kun."</p><p>No response. L glanced over at the teen who was already completed passed out. L smiled softly to himself, before rolling over and letting himself succumb to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On the surface everything appeared to be normal. L was sitting down consuming his cake for breakfast like he did everyday, Light Yagami sitting no more than six feet away from him. But something just felt wrong.<br/>
He felt like he was going through his day without any true intention or meaning. 

Almost like somebody else was controlling him.</p>
<p>L came to the conclusion he was probably being controlled by Kira before his death. He was about to die. And there was nothing he could do to prevent it. That's why he didn't feel like himself. He couldn't be wrong about this. God, he hoped he was though.</p>
<p>Later that night, L and Light were hanging out in their shared room for no particular reason. L found himself unable to focus on anything relating to the case, so he decided to take a break.</p>
<p>"Ryuzaki, are you okay? You've seemed kind of off today.." Light questioned, rising an eyebrow at the pale detective.</p>
<p>"Hm? Oh.. yes Light-Kun, I assure you I am well. Today I just don't feel quite myself.." L mumbled quietly. He shoved his thumb into his mouth, trying to distract himself from all his unsettling thoughts.</p>
<p>"L, I have something to tell you," Before L got the chance to chime in, Light continued speaking. "I am Kira."</p>
<p>L's eyes widened. His hypothesis about Kira controlling his actions before death were correct.<br/>
The power the second Kira had, where they only needed a name and a face to kill, must've been somehow passed over to Light.</p>
<p>L felt a pit start to form in his stomach. A weird concoction of satisfaction, victory, fear and the most strong emotion being betrayal. </p>
<p>L always said he was willing to risk his life for the case and that's something that would never change. However, he also said he wasn't afraid of dying. If that was true, why did he feel so afraid right now? </p>
<p>"You've been controlling my actions before I die," L stated, his signature blank expression still plastered onto his face. "Tell me Light. How much time do I have left?" </p>
<p>"About 6 minutes or so." Light responded, glancing down at his watch for a brief second. "There's no point in trying to contact anyone to come save you. I've made sure all the cell phone towers were to malfunction, so you have no way of getting out of it."</p>
<p>"Yes, I understand.." L was finding it harder and harder to keep his calm composure. He couldn't believe he actually confessed to his crimes. "How do you do it? How do you kill people Yagami?" </p>
<p>Light couldn't help but notice that L dropped the honorific in his name and reverted to using his family name. This wasn't like L at all. </p>
<p>Light took a notebook out of the waistband of his pants and threw it onto the bed. "It's called a Death Note. I just need to write someone's full name in it while picturing their face and they'll die."</p>
<p>"Impossible.." L touched the notebook and flipped through the pages scanning the rules. The detective  glanced up at Light, only to see a Shinigami standing behind him.</p>
<p>L's eyes snapped open and his gaze darted around the room faster than the speed of light. It took him about a minute to process that he wasn't in danger or anything. He was in bed, presumably safe, warm beneath the covers. </p>
<p>The detective was trembling uncontrollably. His usually pale face was flushed and clammy, his body dripping with sweat. L's heart felt like it was going to come right out of his chest from how fast it was beating. L's eyes were glossy and glazed over, almost resembling a doll or toy. </p>
<p>"L!" A booming voice rang from beside him. The raven haired male turned his attention over to Light, blinking a few times to let to his vision focus.<br/>
"Are you okay?.." Light asked. L only shook his head rapidly in response, too frazzled to come up with any coherent words.<br/>
'What is going on inside your mind L?' Light thought to himself. </p>
<p>His voice was soft and gentle. The expression on his face was somewhere between worry and relief. Nothing like the evil version he had just interacted with in his dream.</p>
<p>Light scooted a little closer to L and combed his fingers through his tangled, black, hair. L tensed up at the sudden contact at first, but after a couple of seconds he relaxed a bit more. L's breathing started to slowly steady and become a bit more regular. </p>
<p>'It's seems I can calm him down simply by playing with his hair. I'll have to remember that.'</p>
<p>"What did you dream about, Ryuzaki?" </p>
<p>"...Y-you showed me your killing method. I can't remember how you did it though.." L finally choked out, after staying silent for a long time. "I do remember you giving me an item, that allowed me to see your Shinigami.."</p>
<p>"Yeah, that does sound pretty scary. Your brain is probably just sorting through your thoughts and feelings towards the case, that's why we dream after all." </p>
<p>L let out a small sigh through his nose, his breathing had finally gone back to a some-what normal pace.</p>
<p>"I always thought I wasn't scared dying, but my dream seems to be telling me otherwise." </p>
<p>"Most people are afraid of death or dying, even if they won't admit it. It's just human nature."</p>
<p>"I guess you're right Light-Kun.." </p>
<p>The two boys fell into a comfortable silent after that for a while,  until Light stopped playing with L's hair.<br/>
L looked up at Light and shot him a cold look. The detective took hold of Light's wrist, just firmly enough so he couldn't do anything about it. </p>
<p>"What are you doing?"</p>
<p>L promptly moved Light's hand back up to his head, before letting go of his wrist. </p>
<p>"...I didn't want you to stop."  L  said, his voice almost barley audible. </p>
<p>"You're ridiculous." Light replied, going back to combing through L's hair with his fingers.</p>
<p>"Yes, I understand that," A small smirk present on his pale face.  "Thank you, Light-Kun. You've been very kind to me tonight and I can assure you that won't go unappreciated."  </p>
<p>L adjusted his position so his head was now resting on top of Light's chest. </p>
<p>Light couldn't help but observe L right now. He was cuddled up next to him almost like a child looking for comfort. Right now, L just looked so innocent and vulnerable, which is the opposite of how anyone would describe L. </p>
<p>Earlier in the night, L had even told light that's the reason he doesn't like sleeping. He doesn't want to be vulnerable to prey.  </p>
<p>"You should try and go back to sleep," L said. "I apologize for waking you up.." </p>
<p>"You don't have to apologize. If i go back to sleep, what are you going to do?"</p>
<p>"Light-kun worries about me too much. I'll be fine." </p>
<p>"Okay then. Well if you need me or anything just.. pull on the chain or wake me up."</p>
<p>"By all means you're under no obligation to do this, but I have one request for you."</p>
<p>"What is it, Ryuzaki?" </p>
<p>"I.. I was wondering if we could stay like this this for tonight." </p>
<p>Light was taken back a bit by L's request.  It didn't seem like him at all. He wasn't opposed to the idea of it, as long as it helped Ryuzaki feel less anxious about his nightmare.</p>
<p>"Uh.. yeah, sure..." </p>
<p>Light wrapped his arms around L and pulled him a bit closer to him. L tensed up for a second, before eventually making himself comfortable by burying his face into Light's neck. </p>
<p>L didn't know why he was letting himself get this close to Light. He was his suspect after all. But, here he was cuddling with a potential murderer.<br/>
L moved his head and briefly looked back up at Light.</p>
<p>If he was Kira, would he go through the trouble of comforting him the way Light did? L thought Light's reaction seemed genuine, it didn't feel an act. The concern in his eyes seemed real. </p>
<p>For now, L decided that he didn't want to worry about any of that. He just wanted to fall asleep and try to shake off the nightmare he had.</p>
<p>Light pretended to be asleep for a while, when in actuality he was just observing L to make sure he was alright.  Sure enough, after about ten minutes or so, L fell right back asleep in his arms.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tension</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The blinding sunlight peered in through the windows, beginning to illuminate the otherwise dark room. </p>
<p>Light rolled around underneath the sheeted in attempt to get cozy again, but the bright light from the window was starting to bother him. He let his eyes flutter open, letting out a small yawn as he did so.</p>
<p>On his right, L was perched in his usual crouched position, typing away on his laptop only using his two index fingers. A cherry flavoured lollipop dangling from the corner of his mouth. </p>
<p>Upon seeing the detective, memories from late last night began flooding back to him. L appeared to be back to his usual lifeless self.  Nothing like the vulnerable, trembling version he interacted with a mere hours prior.</p>
<p>"Good morning, Light-Kun." L greeted, his voice was was monotone as always. </p>
<p>"You actually let me sleep in this morning? That's not like you at all.." </p>
<p>Light had grown accustomed to waking up at the crack of dawn almost every single morning. Often resulting in him getting very little to sleep. It was very rare L would let him sleep in later than 6:00 and today seemed to be one of those days. </p>
<p>"It was the least I could do. I did disrupt your sleep after all." L replied with a small shrug, his eyes still fixated on his computer screen.</p>
<p>After a couple of minutes filled with awkward silence, the sweet toothed detective forced Light  downstairs to begin working on the investigation. </p>
<p>Light wanted to bring up the events from last night. Badly. It seemed to be the only thing on his mind at the moment. He couldn't help but notice L had seemed slightly off today.  </p>
<p>On the surface, everything appeared to be normal. <br/>L was sitting in his unusual position in front of his computer, nibbling away at his thumbnail. But he seemed rather distracted and out of it. It felt like he was on another planet, lost somewhere in outer space. Physically he was there, but just like Light, his mind was in other places. </p>
<p>Light wasn't an idiot. Clearly there was something bothering L.  He was still uncertain if it was because of the nightmare he had or because of the events that happened after. That's the only reason why he could think of for his strange behaviour. </p>
<p>He wasn't going to pressure L into opening up about what was troubling him. In L's eyes, it would only make him look even more suspicious. Besides, he probably didn't want to discuss it anyway. <br/>Light concluded that L probably couldn't handle someone finally seeing through his emotionless and cold persona. Therefore, he was going to pretend like it never happened. The tension between them was becoming unbearable. </p>
<p>Pushing those thoughts aside, he forced himself to work on analyzing the data in front of him. Nothing too exciting had been happening lately. They hadn't had any new leads or evidence in days now. Light was hopelessly looking over old data that only seemed to take him to dead ends.</p>
<p>Eventually, he stumbled across something that seemed like it might push the investigation forwards.  He noticed recently Japanese businessman had been dying off rapidly from heart attacks. More notably they were the CEOS of their respected companies. Because of this, their had been a plummet in the stock market. The only exception being Yotsuba. If anything it looked like the deaths were benefiting them. Based on this, Light was able to come to the conclusion Kira was supporting Yotsuba. </p>
<p>Light was able to rule out any possibilities these were just simply coincidences and decided his information was worth of sharing with the task force. With that new information presented,  Soichiro was later able to find out all the deaths were most prominent around the weekends. The ones that seemed to be the most useful to Yotsuba anyway. </p>
<p>Finally, they had a lead which would mean things were starting to get interesting again. </p>
<p>Despite his protests, Light had finally convinced L to let him stop working on the case for the night. Light felt like he would drive himself crazy by forcing himself to make anymore progress tonight. A dull throbbing sensation was beginning to form in his head. Probably a result of eye strain caused by staring at his computer screen for too long without a break.   </p>
<p>L went about his usual workaholic tendencies, like he did every night. His dark eyes were glued on his laptop screen, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Light laid down on his back, knowing he was in for a rough night. He hadn't quite adapted to L's unusual sleep schedule yet and he wasn't sure if he ever would. </p>
<p>Back at home, Light was used to sleeping in a pitch dark room by himself, the only noise being the quiet buzzing coming from the fan. His current conditions were far from ideal. L was sitting next to him, his fingers dancing away on the keyboard. Every now and then, the room would fill up with the rustling and crunching of candy wrappers. It was nearly possible to fall asleep like this.  Most nights Light just ended up passing out due to exhaustion. Sometimes if he was lucky, he would able to shut Ryuzaki up long enough for him to fall asleep. </p>
<p>"Could you be any fucking louder over there?" Light snapped. He pulled a pillow over his head, hoping it would help muffle the sound. It didn't. </p>
<p>"Yes, I most certainly could be. But, I am sure you don't want me to be, Light-Kun." </p>
<p>"You're right. I don't," He sighed. "Can't you just take the rest of the night off? Kira has probably stopped killing for today anyways. Even mass murders need to sleep."</p>
<p>"Evil never rests unfortunately," L replied, shoving another piece of hard candy into his mouth. "Besides, I need something to occupy myself. Watching you sleep isn't very entertaining, believe me I've tried."</p>
<p>Light finally removed the pillow from his head, his eyes darting over to the insomniac he was chained to.  </p>
<p>"That's kind of creepy, Ryuzaki." </p>
<p>L only shrugged in response.  Light sat up and slammed L's laptop shut, earning a cold glare from him in response. "Go to sleep."</p>
<p>"There's no need. I was already able to get a few hours of sleep in last night, therefore I should be good for a couple more days."</p>
<p>"Most people sleep every night."</p>
<p>"I am not like most people, Light-Kun." L deadpanned. </p>
<p>He had a point there. </p>
<p>"I can't fall asleep like this. Can you please just stay quiet until I fall asleep? Then you can do whatever the hell you want." </p>
<p>L brought his thumb to the corner of  his mouth, momentarily lost in thought. As if he was intensely contemplating something.</p>
<p>"As you wish." </p>
<p>The detective tucked his laptop underneath the bed and laid down on his back next to Light. His feet were flat against the mattress with his knees upwards, as he stared blankly at the celling. </p>
<p>"Thank you." </p>
<p>Light rolled over onto his side, so that his back was now facing L. No matter how hard he tried, Light couldn't get his brain to stop racing with annoying thoughts. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, but there was always something preventing him from doing so. After a few minutes, he let out an annoyed side and rolled back over onto his other side, now facing L. </p>
<p>"Ryuzaki, may I ask you a personal question?" </p>
<p>"You just did." </p>
<p>"I hate you." </p>
<p>"I know." L responded with a snarky tone. Now wearing a small but cheeky grin on his face. "Yes, you can ask me a question, Light-Kun. Although, I can't promise that I will give you an answer."</p>
<p>"What do you think happens when we die?"</p>
<p>The same tension from this morning had seemed to return. L stayed silent for an uncomfortably long amount of time before formulating a response. </p>
<p>"Nothing. Your spirit or your consciousness doesn't go to Heaven or Hell. It just ceases to exist, only residing in the memories of people who have met you. The world will keep moving on without you. Seasons will still change, the earth will still orbit around the sun, the stars and sun will still come out. The only people that are affected by your death are the people that knew you," </p>
<p>L paused for a brief moment, taking the time to collect his thoughts before continuing. </p>
<p>"As for your body, it simply goes through the five stages of decomposition. Pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis and finally putrefaction. At some point, maggots and worms will probably infest your coffin so they can feast on your corpse, unless you are cremated of course. In that case, the body is incinerated and the ashes are given to the family. After the carcass finishes decaying, your corpse gradually decays eventually turning into nothing but a skeleton. That's what realistically happens when you die."</p>
<p>"If what you're saying is true, what's the point of living if our lives are just insignifiant and meaningless?" Light asked, gazing curiously into L's emotionless eyes. </p>
<p>"The way I see is we are supposed to value our lives whilst we still have the chance to do so. We're all going to die sometime, whether it's by natural causes or not. That's just part of being a human. You can't let the fear of dying rule your life. To answer your question, the meaning of life is to live. Life is whatever you want it to be in that sense. You're supposed to experiencing the journey, not worrying about the destination." L concluded. </p>
<p>"That's rather optimistic of you, Ryuzaki." </p>
<p>"Indeed it is," L deadpanned. "What about you? Care to share your thoughts?"</p>
<p>"I haven't really thought about it too much, but I think that your conscience ends up in a different realm or world like Heaven or Hell. Everyone has their own version of Heaven though, so mine would look completely different from someone else's," </p>
<p>Light stifled a yawn, finally beginning to grow more tired. </p>
<p>"My Heaven would just be somewhere I could be permanently calm and happy. Ideally, I'd be able to see dead relatives and friends there as well." </p>
<p>"That's interesting to think about. Unfortunately, we will never know what comes after death until we experience it ourselves." </p>
<p>Light simply nodded his head in response, not having anything left to say. It just felt like a good time to end the conversation as well.  </p>
<p>"You should try and get some sleep now, Light-kin. It's awfully late." L suggested. </p>
<p>"Yeah. I think I will," Light finally let a yawn escape as he felt his eyes growing heavy. "Goodnight Ryuzaki." </p>
<p>"Goodnight." </p>
<p>Light made himself comfy beneath the sheets and let his eyes flutter shut, making another attempt to fall asleep. </p>
<p>Once again, he found himself thinking about what happened last night. The awkwardness between him and L seemed to have died down a bit, which was a good thing. Light wondered if L asking him to cuddle was just a one time thing or not. He certainly wouldn't mind doing that again, but he probably wouldn't go out of his way to initiate anything either. </p>
<p>Light opened one eye ever so slightly to sneak a quick peek at L. The detective hadn't changed positions. He was still laying on his back with knees up, staring off into space. He resisted the growing temptation to pull him close and embrace him again. </p>
<p>L could be very unpredictable. Light didn't think he would appreciate cuddling him, especially now that he was in his right mind. Realistically, he would probably shove him off and start listing off ways  that made him more suspicious. </p>
<p>As Light was in a state of being half-awake and half-asleep, he felt a gentle  jab come in contact with his check. He involuntarily flinched at the sudden action. Choosing to ignore it, he finally drifted off into a deep slumber.</p>
<p>He didn't stay asleep very long. </p>
<p>A cold finger was repeatedly poking at his check. It seemed like it was going to stop either. Light's eyes snapped open, immediately becoming alert and aware of the situation at hand. The first thing he saw was L. </p>
<p>The insomniac was crouched beside him innocently using his ghostly pale index finger to tap his face.  His raccoon-like eyes were spiteful and full of curiosity. It reminded Light of a needy child begging for attention. </p>
<p>"Can I help you?"</p>
<p>"No. Just go back to sleep, Light-Kun. I won't bother you."  </p>
<p>"I wish I could believe you." </p>
<p>L was starting to annoy the absolute hell out of Light. And he knew it too. It was obvious L was just trying to provoke a reaction out of it. What was really infuriating was when Light finally acknowledged him, he would just brush him off.  </p>
<p>Just as he predicted, the second he was about to pass out, the rhythmic jabs started back up again. </p>
<p>"You have my attention, what do you want?" Light scowled. </p>
<p>"I don't want anything from you." </p>
<p>"Then why are you deliberately preventing me from sleeping?"</p>
<p>L didn't respond. Instead he opted to stare at Light lifelessly. </p>
<p>"I swear to God, I'm going to k-" Light stopped himself  mid-sentence, realizing how bad it would sound. But the damage had already been done. A wrong choice of words on his part. </p>
<p>"Kill me?"  L asked, grinning smugly. </p>
<p>"Obviously, have no intent to actually kill you. It's just an expression. You know that. "</p>
<p>"No, I don't know that. You're my prime suspect because I think you might be Kira. There's no reason for me to believe you're joking." </p>
<p>"You told me that you'd stay quiet until I fell asleep, then after you could do whatever else you wanted. You're not following through on your promise."</p>
<p>"I beg to differ. I remained quiet just as you asked. You did end up falling asleep temporally. Therefore, I had your permission to do whatever I wanted." L argued.</p>
<p>"Bothering me wasn't what I meant."  </p>
<p>"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Staring at the celling isn't very interesting for me to do." </p>
<p>"Keep working. You're good at that." </p>
<p>"I don't feel like it right now." </p>
<p>"Then go to sleep." Light put his hand on L's chest and gently pushed him backwards, forcing him to lay down on his back. </p>
<p>"I told you earlier, there is no need for me to sleep since I already slept last night." </p>
<p>Light was growing more and more irritated with L by the minute. There was no winning with him. No matter what Light said to him, he wanted to do the opposite. Just like a stubborn and defiant child. </p>
<p>Light wanted to punch L in the face, as hard as he could. Right now, he was really considering it because L was testing his patience. He was about to hit his break point. Knowing L, he would probably retaliate and up attacking him as well. A couple bruises and the pain would definitely be worth it though. </p>
<p>"You're so impossible," Light clucked his younger is displeasure. "I'm done playing your stupid mind games tonight. Goodnight."</p>
<p>Much to Light's surprise, L didn't try to bother him again after that. Resulting in him catching up on some much needed rest for a couple of hours.<br/>Light even managed to snag the last word in their little argument. L very seldom let him do that. </p>
<p>Putting his thoughts and feelings aside, he managed to fall asleep quickly relatively, savouring every damn second of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Stubborn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Light found himself waking up naturally for once, after getting a suspiciously long amount of sleep. It was nice to not be forced out of bed at the crack of dawn like he usually was.</p>
<p>Light was quick to notice how all the covers that were previously surrounding him had mysteriously vanished. A quick glance to his right side revealed that L had rolled himself up into a tight cocoon of blankets.  The top of his head being the only thing viable right now. </p>
<p>He gently pulled the sheets back off of the detective, just enough to see his face. Just in case L had fallen asleep, Light tried his best to be careful not to disturb him. Unfortunately, that was not the case. </p>
<p>Two black weary eyes abruptly flickered open, shooting him a menacing glare. A vacant and unreadable expression was plastered onto his face, leaving Light feeling pretty uneasy. L looked like he was about to steal his soul or suck the life out of him. </p>
<p>Light noticed that L's ghostly pale face was flushed a rosy shade of pink. Definitely not a usual occurrence. Perhaps he had fallen ill? Great. L was irritable and stubborn enough on a good day. It would probably intensify in severity if he was feeling sick. That wasn't a situation Light wanted to put himself in. </p>
<p>"Good morning." L greeted unenthusiastically. </p>
<p>"Are you feeling okay, Ryuzaki?" Light asked, deciding to get straight to the point and skip the pleasantries. </p>
<p>"Other than the fact I am uncomfortably cold right now, I think I'm feeling okay." </p>
<p>That was a lie. Not a very good one either. After spending hours awake, doing nothing but mindless work and tasks, L forced himself to fall asleep for a little bit. In result, he awoke about half an hour later feeling like absolute garbage. </p>
<p>L's head was pounding ruthlessly with no sign of stopping any time soon. His throat was was sore and scratchy, like someone had taken a sheet of sandpaper to it. On top of all of that, he was freezing cold. No matter how many blankets he was under, his body wasn't able to warm itself back up. </p>
<p>"You're literally trembling," Light pointed out, astonished by the fact he even had to mention it. <br/>L was obviously sick or at least not feeling up to his regular standards. Anybody with eyes could see that. </p>
<p>"It's not cold in this room either." </p>
<p>Light let his intuition take over and instinctively placed the back of his hand onto L's forehead. L flinched slightly as he did so, not particularly enjoying the sudden physical contact. His forehead clammy with sweat and hot to the touch. Just as Light suspected, without a doubt L had a fever.</p>
<p>"You're burning up. Ryuzaki, be honest. How are you actually feeling?"</p>
<p>Out of habit, L shoved the tip of his thumb into mouth, gnawing away at it, hoping it would bring him some pain relief.  It didn't help that much. </p>
<p>"A bit unwell. However, it shouldn't be  anything to be worried about, Light-Kun." L finally admitted, half-heartedly. His voice was hoarse and had a slight rasp to it. "However, this shouldn't prevent me from being able to work on this case, so we should join the others downstairs momentarily." </p>
<p>"Yes, it may not prevent you from working, but you won't be nearly as productive as you normally would be. I think you should take the day off, so you can rest." Light objected, a hint of concern present in his voice. </p>
<p>Before he could add anything else, L had untangled himself from the mountain of blankets and sprung  to his feet, dragging Light along with him. He knew there was no point in trying to argue with L, knowing he would do whatever he wanted anyway, so Light just went along with it. </p>
<p>L wasn't a child. Light didn't have any control over the choices he made. And by all means, L didn't have to listen to him if he didn't want to. If he wanted to suffer and ignore his advice, that was solely on him. </p>
<p>Light spent most of his morning staring blankly at his screen. Scrolling through the same data and information that was available from days prior. His brain felt like it was stuck on autopilot mode. <br/>The only notable thing that had happened today was Watari had been able to confirm that Yotsuba was somehow connected to Kira. </p>
<p>On the other hand, L was doing everything in his power to distract himself from how awful he was feeling. The insomniac did everything he could to find tasks to work on, forcing himself to keep busy. No matter how insignificant or pointless it was. </p>
<p>L was finding it hard for him to stay focused. If only his head would stop throbbing, maybe his brain would be able to function better. He also found himself trying to keep his jaw clenched to prevent his teeth from chattering together. Even though he was sweating bullets, his insides were frosted over like a fjord in the winter. </p>
<p>The detective believed he was infallible. Even though realistically, he knew that was far from the truth. There were times where he was wrong or made mistakes because he was only human. He wasn't a robot or supercomputer. </p>
<p>Light was right. L probably needed to rest to give his body a chance to heal and get rid of these horrid symptoms. He was too obstinate to admit that he was wrong, so he sucked it up and tolerated the pain. </p>
<p>Occasionally Light would glance over to his side to check on L. He looked absolutely terrible. If it was even possible, he probably looked worse than he did this morning. L's face was still bright red like a fire hydrant and his eyes appeared to be glassy. </p>
<p>L had barley touched the plate of sweets in front of him. The assortment of cake and fruit mostly remained untouched. Expect for when L decided he would rather play with his food instead of eating it. This was abnormal behaviour for him and the biggest indicator he wasn't feeling well. </p>
<p>Right now, he preferred to roll and bounce berries around on the plate. When he wasn't doing that, his  favourite thing to do was squish them between his index finger and thumb, then proceed to lick the remains off with his tongue. </p>
<p>The sight alone made Light want to gag. Although, he concluded observing L was far more interesting than scrolling through boring pages of data related to the case.</p>
<p>Unfortunately the rest of the day dragged on unbearably slow. L was silently relieved when the rest of the Task Force began putting away their stuff for the day. He knew he could call it quits whenever he needed to without having to awkwardly explain himself. </p>
<p>Other than the intermittent typing or clicking, the building was completely quiet. Light and L were currently the only people in the room. Neither of them having much to say to each other, so they choose to sit in silence, finding slight comfort in each other's presence.  </p>
<p>L had gradually grown more and more lethargic as more time went on. Still too stubborn to admit Light was right about him needing to take today off, he continued to power through his sickness. </p>
<p>Somehow with a bunch of pushing and persistence, Light was able to convince the detective to stop working for the day. Even though it was only 6:00. Way too early for L to stop being productive on a normal day. Pulling another all-nighter probably wouldn't make him feel any better anyways and L knew that. He didn't have the energy to try arguing, so he just went along with it. </p>
<p>Upon entering their shared bedroom, L curled up into a ball and proceeded to roll himself into a blanket burrito. Light sat down next to him, growing annoyed with how unwilling L was to admit he was sick and take care of himself. </p>
<p>"You look like death." </p>
<p>"Excellent observation. I would've never guessed." L replied, sarcastically. </p>
<p>"When was the last time you were sick, Ryuzaki?" </p>
<p>"Not since I was a teenager. Why do you ask?" </p>
<p>"Just curious." </p>
<p>Light inspected L's physical appearance once again and he didn't seem to be improving at all. His fever didn't seem like it had broken in the slightest. </p>
<p>"You're in really bad shape."</p>
<p>"Most likely I just have contracted the flu. I will probably be fine." L's voice sounded croaky and gravelly. A notable change from earlier today. "Although, thousands of people die from the flu yearly, so there's the odd chance I won't recover.." </p>
<p>"A touch dramatic don't you think?" </p>
<p>"No." </p>
<p>"Let me help you." </p>
<p>"Light-Kun,  I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself without your assistance."</p>
<p>"If you were 'perfectly capable' you would have already done something to try and make yourself feel better, instead of moping around all day." </p>
<p>L had nothing to say in response to that, knowing he had a valid point. </p>
<p>"Please let me help you."  Light requested once again, as he gently used his fingers to brush L's hair out from his eyes. </p>
<p>"Fine."</p>
<p>"Can you unchain me for a minute?" Light held his wrist up and jiggled it around, hoping it would help get his point across. </p>
<p>"You can't be serious." L locked eyes with him, giving him a cold stare. </p>
<p>"Do you trust me?" </p>
<p>"I really don't." L was now wearing sly grin on his face. </p>
<p>"I don't even have to leave this room. You should be able to see me the whole time, if you're that worried I'm going to try something." Light insisted. </p>
<p>"Alright," L sighed. Hesitantly he fished the handcuff key out of his pocket and unlocked Light's wrist. "I'm  delirious right now and I'm making the stupid decision to trust you. Please don't take advantage of the situation." </p>
<p>"I can assure you I won't." L nodded in affirmation. </p>
<p>Light made his way into the bathroom, leaving the door open so L could see him of course. He dug around underneath the sink before pulling out a blue washcloth and a plastic cup. Folding the fabric up neatly, he placed it in the sink, drenching it in cold water. He squeezed the excess water out of the rag, so it was slightly damp, then made his way back over to L. Light placed the wet rag onto L's forehead and the now full cup on the night stand.</p>
<p>"That should help break your fever and help regulate your body temperature."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Light-Kun.." L mumbled out in plain English. His first language. His brain was too frazzled   to continue a conversation in Japanese, unable to translate the words as fast as he would've liked to. </p>
<p>Light followed L's lead and started speaking to him in English as well. </p>
<p>"How many langagiers do you speak?" Light asked, mostly out of curiosity. </p>
<p>"En Français, русский, Italiano, 日本人, 한국어 and English. " L responded. He made sure to switch language each time he listed off a new one, as if he was trying to flaunt his skills. </p>
<p>French, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, English. Impressive.</p>
<p>"Show off." </p>
<p>"It is my speciality." </p>
<p>"Are you still cold?" </p>
<p>L only nodded once again in response. </p>
<p>Light walked over to their half empty closet. On the top shelf, extra blankets and pillows were stowed away there in case they were needed. Grabbing as many blankets as he could carry, he traveled back to the bed, placing them next the detective. </p>
<p>Without any delay, L locked the boys wrist back in place, binding them together once again.  After that, he delicately unfolded the blankets and wrapped them around himself. Even underneath 6 layers of sheets and blankets, L somehow still had a chill flooding his body. </p>
<p>"Drink." Light commanded, holding the water cup out in front of L for him to take. "You need to stay hydrated."</p>
<p>"You sound like an overprotective parent." L took the beverage from him, trying his hardest not to spill it everywhere. His hands were shaking wildly which made it a difficult task, but he managed. </p>
<p>"I don't approve of this. It lacked any sort of flavour and it was not sweet." L stuck his tongue out slightly in disapproval, handing the item back to Light. </p>
<p>"It's water. What did you expect?" </p>
<p>"They should invent sweet water, Light-Kun."</p>
<p>"That sounds disgusting, but it probably already exists." </p>
<p>"I apologize. My brain feels muddled and my thoughts are rather incoherent right now. "</p>
<p>"Yeah, I can tell."</p>
<p>L absolutely hated the way Light had been so nurturing towards him. He was constantly fussing and cosseting over him. L always tried his hardest to be independent and self-sufficient as much as possible. Currently, he was in a situation where he was neither of those things and it was embarrassing to say the least. </p>
<p>Make no mistake, he was beyond appreciative towards Light for helping take care of him. Especially when he was under no obligation to do so. But it made him feel like he was nothing more than a helpless little kid.  </p>
<p>Once again, L found himself put into a position where he was left vulnerable and defenceless around Light and he loathed it. </p>
<p>L couldn't be to sure of Light's true intentions. This could easily be an act. He could be manipulating him and he was playing right into his hands. It didn't feel like an act though. If it was, Light seemed to be genuinely concerned for his well-being. Would he really go through the trouble to gain his trust? Yes. The answer was yes he would. </p>
<p>Regardless, L's gut instincts told him he still needed to remain cautious and suspicious of Light. No matter what. The biggest mistake he could make right now was by letting himself fully trust him and putting his guard down.</p>
<p>"You worry about me too much, Light-Kun."</p>
<p>"Well, if I didn't intervene, you would've just let yourself get worse and worse, not taking any initiative to help yourself recover. All because you are too stubborn to admit you're sick and need time to rest," </p>
<p>L shot him him a baffled and perplexed look. By the way he reacted, Light would've thought he had magically turned into a martian or something. </p>
<p>"Don't look at me like that, Ryuzaki. You know I'm right." </p>
<p>"Yes. There might be some truth to what you're saying." L wasn't going to let Light have the satisfaction of hearing that he was wrong for once. </p>
<p>"I promise you aren't burdening  or anything and if you were, I would tell you. You should stop resisting my help." </p>
<p>"I feel like a child." </p>
<p>"You behave like one most of the time. "</p>
<p>"Fair enough." L shifted his position slightly so he could make himself comfortable under the jumble of blankets. "You're coddling me, Light-Kun. If I am being honest with you, I think your heart is in the right place and I admire you for that. On the contrary, I don't particularly enjoy it." L confessed. </p>
<p>"I admit I might have been acting a bit overbearing and I apologize for that. From this point on, I'll let you come to me if you need anything." </p>
<p>"I appreciate that immensely."</p>
<p>L stared blankly at the calling. An overwhelming sense of lethargy numbed his senses. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep, but he knew realistically was unlikely to happen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Weary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow. I’ve had this one finished for a few days now, I just procrastinated editing it. I originally wanted to get this out on Christmas, but obviously that didn’t happen. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Consider it a late Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) present from me.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Interestingly enough, Light and L's roles seemed to be swapped right now. At the present time, Light was trying his best to get some work done on his laptop, whilst L laid next to him uselessly. On any normal day, it would usually be the other way around. L relentlessly forcing himself to work while Light grew annoyed at him for disrupting his sleep. </p>
<p>Light was occupying himself with all the work he hadn't been able to get done earlier in the day. Quickly, he grew tired of working on the same<br/>old things. Nothing seemed to be challenging or remotely interesting enough for him.</p>
<p>He ventured off task. Bored to death. Six tabs were currently open in Google and only 2 of them were remotely related to the case. The other remaining windows were either extremely stupid questions he had or some of those awful flash games he played when he was younger. If there was an opportunity to procrastinate, he was most likely going to take it. </p>
<p>Currently, L was laying diagonally on his stomach, sprawled out like a starfish. If that wasn't bad enough, he decided to sleep in the dead centre of the mattress. Light was forced to sit at the edge of the bed, barley having enough room for himself. </p>
<p>A total bed hog. The worst type of person  to share a sleeping space with. Especially when it was more or less against your own will. </p>
<p>To make matters worse, L's bony foot was sharply digging into his side and stomach area. Sometimes he would end up with his toes directly in his face. </p>
<p>"Impressive. You somehow mange to irritate me even when you're unconscious." </p>
<p>Immediately after he spoke, L mumbled some indecipherable gibberish. Light speculated that maybe his subconscious mind had heard what he said and was trying to form a response. This was most likely not the case, but fun to hypothesize about none the less. </p>
<p>Light looked down at the sleeping male next to him, <br/>contemplating how he could move L back over to his side without waking him up. He came to the conclusion that L was in such a odd position, he wouldn't be able to relocate him without disturbing him. </p>
<p>Just like he had done earlier in the day, Light pressed the back of his hand to L's forehead, checking to see if he still had a fever. Only this time he didn't flinch when he made physical contact with him. As suspected, he still felt pretty hot to the touch. Unfortunately, his fever didn't seem to show any sign of breaking yet. </p>
<p>Light had no reason to be this concerned about L. However, something deep inside him said that he needed to protect him. Like L said yesterday, it was probably just the flu and he would be fine. So if that was the case, why did he care so much?  Why was he wasting his time being concerned?  </p>
<p>When L was asleep, he looked a lot more peaceful and untroubled. Pure and innocent. He watched closely as L's chest slowly rose up and down with every breathe he took.</p>
<p>Although he would never say it out loud or admit to it to anybody but himself, Light thought L looked cute. In his own weird and unique way. Minus all the drool spilling out from his mouth, soaking into the fibres of the pillowcase. He found it to be mildly disgusting, but also strangely endearing.  </p>
<p>"I didn't know someone was capable of producing so much salvia..."</p>
<p>"Crocodiles.. love eating beans."</p>
<p>Weirdo.</p>
<p>As quickly as those thoughts entered his brain, he tried his hardest to get rid of them and push them to the side. They were just friends and colleagues. Nothing more than that. Besides, unless you were a fifteen year old girl, friends didn't usually think of each other as cute.</p>
<p>Friends didn't watch each other sleep either.  </p>
<p>Realizing he had been gawking at L for an unreasonable amount of time, he averted his attention away from the sleeping detective, forcing himself to stare blankly at the ceiling instead. </p>
<p>A unfamiliar tingling and fluttery sensation festered in his stomach and he couldn't figure out why. It was something he hadn't experienced before.</p>
<p>Sighing to himself, Light tried to make himself as comfortable as he could and went back to messing around on his laptop. </p>
<p>"This isn't going to end well for me."</p>
<p>L's voice captured Light's attention immediately.  It startled him a little bit, as it was completely unexpected.  Especially since he was given no indication L had even woke up. L was sitting upright, facing his direction, but something was clearly wrong. </p>
<p>The insomniac's eyes were half-open and squinted slightly.  They looked glassy and dull, similar to those scary-looking porcelain dolls. He stared right back at him, not blinking or moving. It was creepy as hell.  </p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"The penguins are going to eat me alive."</p>
<p>"Well, I don't think I can help you with that."</p>
<p>"Retaliating against them would be useless. The one with the polka-dots has a restraint order against me." </p>
<p>"Really? How come?"</p>
<p>"I told you we shouldn't have eaten them. Damn, hate fish. He wants vengeance.."</p>
<p>"What the fuck are you talking about?" Light rapidly  waved a hand in front his face, the handcuff chain clinking around as he did so. L didn't react to either of those things.  </p>
<p>"Split up. Take 'em down in secret." </p>
<p>Without missing a beat, L shut his eyes and laid back down on his side, curling up into fetal position. He clutched onto fistfuls of blankets, keeping them close his face, as if he life depended on it. Just like a sleeping child would do with their teddy bear or security blanket. </p>
<p>From Light's knowledge, sleep talking wasn't a normal occurrence from L. To be fair, Light had only ever seen L sleep twice before this. If the insomniac got any sleep, it was usually for a couple hours while Light was asleep. He was always awake before he was without fail.</p>
<p>There was a possibility L was actually awake and just toying with him. Another one of his stupid mind games. But the chances of that happening were very slim. L had no motive or reason to attempt to do something like. Most likely, tonight L was probably just acting out some weird fever dream. The stuff he was saying was absurd and out of character.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>L awoke feeling well rested for the first time in a couple of months. The last time he checked the clock it was around 7:00 PM, it was currently 1:08 AM. He assumed he got around 6 hours of sleep, which was insane considering he usually averaged 1-2 hours every couple of days. </p>
<p>He found himself feeling weirdly energized, despite the fact his head still throbbed and his lungs burned every time he took a breath. Overall, he still felt like hot garbage and he would probably need at least another day or two of rest to fully recover, much to his dismay. </p>
<p>Light rose from his slumber quite irritated. As an oddly similar sensation disturbed him from his resting state. A warm and clammy finger jabbed at  his check repeatedly. </p>
<p>When Light opened his eyes, L was perched in his usual sitting position, hovering overtop of him innocently. His left thumb placed delicately on the side of his lip, while he poked Light with his right index finger.</p>
<p>"Is this going to become a regular occurrence? You waking me up like this in the middle of the night?" Light asked, groggily.</p>
<p>"Perhaps. Only time can tell." </p>
<p>L didn't appear to be sleep talking this time. His eyes were fully open and they looked relatively normal. Also, he sounded like he was coherent enough to form a proper sentence that actually made sense. </p>
<p>"What do you want from me? And don't you dare say 'nothing' either." </p>
<p>"Alright. won't say it." L replied, shooting him a childish and cheeky grin. </p>
<p>"You're not going to let me fall back asleep are you?" </p>
<p>"It depends on how nice I feel like being. However, your assumption is most likely going to be correct." </p>
<p>"At least you are honest." Light out a sigh to express his displeasure. "You're such an attention-whore." </p>
<p>"That is not very kind of you to say." </p>
<p>"Are you feeling any better?" </p>
<p>"Somewhat. I still don't feel the greatest. Although, right now I am feeling rather energetic and rather bored. That's why I woke you up." </p>
<p>"I am not here to entertain you." Light paused for a second, suddenly reminded of the events that had unfolded minutes before. "So, did the penguins end up eating you alive?" </p>
<p>"Huh?"</p>
<p>"You looked me dead in the eyes to tell me 'the penguins are going to eat me alive." Light tried his hardest to keep a straight face, suppressing the strong urge to laugh. "Also, the penguin filed a restraining order against you because you ate their family." </p>
<p>L let out a short and dry chuckle. A scarcely heard sound. Light had only heard him laugh or something that resembled it, only once. If the room hadn't been dead silent, he probably wouldn't have heard it.</p>
<p>"I have no recollection of that whatsoever."</p>
<p>"Well, do crocodiles really enjoy eating beans?"</p>
<p>"Certainly not. They're strictly carnivores. Are you just messing with me now?0</p>
<p>"I can't make this shit up even if I tried. You just happen to have weird dreams."</p>
<p>"People often say your dreams are supposed to be your subconscious mind telling you something. My question to you is, what do you think mine are trying to tell me?"</p>
<p>"I think your dreams are trying to tell you that you secretly have sphenisciphobia. Deep down, you want to kill off a part of you that you don't like. You also feel threatened by something you have no control over. Hence why you were about to be eaten alive in an act of vengeance.  You were planning to retaliate and fight back against the penguins, even though it would mean breaking your restraining order. It probably represents bottled up emotions and anger you're trying to repress." </p>
<p>"So, you have me all figured out don't you?" </p>
<p>"Definitely." </p>
<p>"How do you honestly interpret it though?"  </p>
<p>"I just told you." </p>
<p>"You were joking. What you said wasn't meant to be taking seriously, from my understanding anyway."</p>
<p>"Wow, you really are the worlds greatest detective aren't you?"</p>
<p>L didn't respond to Light's comment. Instead, he opted for wordlessly shooting him a cheeky grin. </p>
<p>"You want to know what I really think?"</p>
<p>"Indeed." </p>
<p>"You are delirious and had a meaningless fever dream. It can't get anymore straight-forward than that," Light concluded. </p>
<p>"Dreaming takes place during the REM stage of the sleep cycle, having a high fever can disrupt this sequence. Your brains extremely overheated  and that prevents it from functioning properly. That is why your dream was unusual compared to normal."  </p>
<p>"I preferred your other answer better." </p>
<p>The conversation came to a natural conclusion, leaving the two left in a comfortable silence. Light took this an invitation to try and go back to sleep.</p>
<p>Of course L always had a way to disrupt his plans. </p>
<p>L's stomach was pressed up agonist Light's back while his arms were wrapped around his waist. </p>
<p>"Uh?... What are you doing?..." Light instinctively pulled away from L's hold, shifting as far away from his as possible without falling off the bed. </p>
<p>The truth was Light had never really been a very affectionate person, even when he was younger. The quick occasional hug was fine, but anything more than that sounded awful. He had always preferred not to be touched if he could avoid it and he definitely cherished his personal space. </p>
<p>Right now, L seemed to be invading his bubble of space. A bit too close for comfort.</p>
<p>"You are currently very warm and I am not. For my own selfish needs, I will be stealing your body heat. This method has been proven to be effective in regulating body temperature."</p>
<p>L's thoughts felt muddled together and seemed to lack any coherency. Maybe if he was in his right mind, his first instinct wouldn't have been to huddle for warmth. Realistically, he probably would've let himself suffer and be uncomfortable, rather than put himself in this situation. But for now, it seemed like a good course of action. </p>
<p>Even though it might've seemed like L was trying to cuddle Light to fill the emotional void, his intentions were completely pure. He wasn't trying to display  any acts of affection or get intimate. Nor did he feel any romantic or sexual attraction to him. Light was simply another source of warmth. </p>
<p>"Yeah, maybe if you have hypothermia or you're an infant. But even in that case, you would do it naked for the skin to skin contact." </p>
<p>"Are you suggesting something? </p>
<p>"Wha—-"  Light stopped abruptly before he could even complete his sentence. The realization finally sunk in as he finally processed L's words. "No! Absolutely not. That's not what I meant!" </p>
<p>Light rolled over into his opposite side, so that he facing L again. A part of him wanted to punch the detective square in the jaw, knock the lifeless and dead expression right off his stupid face. But he resisted the temptation, no matter how strong it was, because he knew doing that would only cause drama. </p>
<p>"There is no need to be so defensive about it, Light-Kun." L responded. "It's completely normal to have those types of thoughts and feelings."</p>
<p>"I hate you." </p>
<p>"I know."</p>
<p>"God, you're so annoying and immature. Just leave me alone!" </p>
<p>"Also, I am sorry to disappoint, but I do not wish to strip for you. Especially given the circumstances at hand." </p>
<p>Now L was starting to get underneath Light's skin and he knew it too. He was testing the limits and his boundaries to see how far he could push Light before he blew up and hit his breaking point. L had no real motive or reason to do this either. Other than the fact he was trying to provoke reaction. </p>
<p>L didn't know when to stop. He wanted to see how much he could get away with, so he kept going and going. Just like a defiant toddler who didn't m know the difference between right and wrong. </p>
<p>"Are you trying to piss me off?"</p>
<p>"I'll leave that up for you to decide."</p>
<p>"Yes, you are."</p>
<p>"Impressive. I would have never been able to come to that conclusion myself." </p>
<p>"I don't appreciate your sarcasm."</p>
<p>"Oh? Well, I do."</p>
<p>Light rolled over onto his stomach, because he couldn't stand to look at L anymore and mashed his face into the pillow.</p>
<p>"Hm. It appears you are the only one here being immature now." L chewed away at his thumbnail and waited for a response that never came. </p>
<p>"It seems we have veered off topic. Can we finish our previous conversation now?"</p>
<p>"Whatever." A muffled voice replied. </p>
<p>"Moving on. In addition to me receiving your warmth, a hormone called oxytocin is released. It is know to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, decrease pain respecters and act as an anti-inflammatory.  Among other things, this can be useful in strengthening your immune system and fighting off infection." </p>
<p>Light swore that L was a sadist or something. It seemed like he tormented him just for the sake of it. Maybe the little freak got some sick pleasure out of watching him suffer his wrath. </p>
<p>"You made that up."</p>
<p>"I have no reason to lie to you, so I can assure you everything I said was completely truthful."</p>
<p>"You knew all of that off the top of your head?"</p>
<p>"Of course I did. Are you doubting my capabilities?" </p>
<p>"Not a chance,"  He sighed. "Fine. You win. I've been successfully convinced." Light surrendered in defeat. </p>
<p>Light knew that arguing with L was pointless and a waste of his time. No matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to win the verbal battle.  Not this time anyway.  Usually he would at least put in a solid effort and give it a fair shot. But frankly, he didn't have the energy to fight with L right now. </p>
<p>All he wanted was to catch a few more hours of dreamless sleep. And Light was willing to go through whatever means necessary to achieve it.  If that meant letting this delirious and frenzied buffoon spoon him 'for warmth', so be it then. </p>
<p>It was too early in the morning for Light to be dealing with L's bullshit. He decided that it was easier to just throw in the towel and just let him have this one. Some fights just weren't worth the effort </p>
<p>Besides, L was too quick-witted and slick, despite the fact he wasn't thinking as clearly as he normally would. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded plausible and logical. L was consistently able to spew out facts on the fly to back himself up, regardless if he was telling the truth or not. It was obvious L always had his facts straight. Most of the time anyway. Or at least he made it appear like he did. </p>
<p>But it's not like he expected anything less from L. </p>
<p>"You know, when I said that you could come to me if you needed anything, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."</p>
<p>"Well, what did you have in mind then?"</p>
<p>"I haven't really put too much thought into it. I imagine it would be way less touchy-feely though."</p>
<p>"I expected you to say something like that."</p>
<p>"I think I prefer this rather than having your feet in my face." </p>
<p>"Stop talking," L commanded, choosing to end their discussion prematurely. "I do not feel like continuing  a conversation right now."</p>
<p>"But you-"</p>
<p>Before Light could squeeze another word in, L silenced him by placing his hand over his mouth. In response to that, the detective only received a huff of annoyance. Light was quick to take hold of L's hand and remove it from covering his mouth, using a bit more force than needed. </p>
<p>"You're absolutely ridiculous."  </p>
<p>"Shh."</p>
<p>That was another mild thing that seemed to infuriate Light about L. Most of the time he lacked basic respect and any sort of human decency. Often he was overly blunt and brutally honest, because of this he usually came off as rude and apathetic. Never once did he take anybody else's thoughts or feelings into consideration. </p>
<p>L's  intelligence may be extremely high, but his social-skills happened to be extremely poor. The detective was oblivious to common social cues and never seemed to pick up on them.</p>
<p>"Just go back to sleep, Light-Kun."</p>
<p>"Are you actually going to let me sleep or are you going to keep waking me up again?"</p>
<p>"It depends on how I'm feeling." </p>
<p>The moody detective didn't bother Light after that. L figured since he took on the task of taking care of him today, the least he could do was let him sleep to show his gratitude. </p>
<p>L had a problem that was just beginning though. And it was called 'Insomnia'.</p>
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